Cy Neff

At a community meeting on Wednesday, a representative gave few answers about how the Durham Rescue Mission plans to use 2.4 acres near its East Durham campus.

Police and emergency communications departments show high vacancies; Durham mayor Leonardo Williams says there are fewer vacancies across departments citywide than in years past. 

The Durham Rescue Mission takes in people with nowhere else to go and gives them another shot at life. But former guests say the Mission, whose affiliated nonprofits brought in $23 million in revenue in 2022, exploited them at their lowest point. 

In both cases, the City of Durham’s lawsuit alleges that DHA was aware of the resident’s disability, that a transfer was necessary, and that other residents in similar situations have been treated differently.

The complaint follows months of alleged health and safety violations at the low-income elderly living facility.

The move follows a citation for financial mismanagement, but Millennia-owned properties around the country, including its low-income, elderly living facility in Durham, have been the target of complaints about safety, management, and upkeep.

HEART has expanded its staff, service area, and hours of operation.

The city and Open Table Ministry will set aside six rooms for unhoused families, and four for highly vulnerable individuals and couples, at a local motel this winter in an effort to combat displacement.

The paper signals broader, dangerous public health implications from waste disposal practices of the past across the United States and Canada.